Pull skein winder

ABSTRACT

An electro-mechanical pull skein winder which automatically and sequentially operates 1) the winding mechanism that winds you on a spindle, 2) the doffing means that pushes the wound skein off the spindle, 3) the clamping means that grip the tail end of the skein of yarn just doffed, 4) the cutting means that severs the wound skein from the continuous length of yarn and 5) the ejecting means that deposit the skein at a particular point, and then automatically starts the cycle over again.

United States Patent Davidson 14 1 ,Sept. 26, 1972 I PULL SKEIN WINDER [72] Inventor: Miron Davidson, c/o Russell A. Ed-

'wards, Esq. 56 Ainslie Street N.,

Galt, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Dec. 30, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 102,864

v [52] US. Cl ..24'2/18 R, 242/41, 242/18 PW [51] Int. Cl. ..B65h 54/02 [58] Field of Search 242/18 R, 18 PW,41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,490,707 1/1970 Warshaw et al ..242/18 R 2,034,248 3/1936 Reiners et a1. ..242/41 X 3,507,453 4/1970 Scragg et a1 ..242/l8 R 3,300,957 1/1967 Wind ..242/l8 R X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS France ..242/41 9/1934 Great Britain ..242/41 1/1941 Germany ..242/41 Primary ExaminerStanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Milton S. Gerstein Attorney-Bar1ow 84 Barlow [5 7] ABSTRACT An electro-mechanical pull skein winder which automatically and sequentially operates 1) the winding mechanism that winds you on a spindle, 2) the doffing means that pushes the wound skein off the spindle, 3) the clamping means that grip the tail end of the skein of yarn just doffed, 4) the cutting means that severs the wound skein from the continuous length of yarn and 5) the ejecting means that deposit the skein at a particular point, and then automatically starts the cycle over again.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED EP I972 3.693.897

sum 2' 0F 2 INVENTOR MIRON DAVIDSON BY F0744 ATTORNEYS PULL SKEIN WINDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a machine for pull skein winding of yarn. In the past this operation has been semi-automatic with the result that the manual operations take far more time to perform than the time needed to wind the yarn into a skein containing a predetermined length of yarn. The most time consuming of the manual operations is that of threadably attaching the lead edge of the yarn to the reel, plug or spindle upon which the pull skein is to be wound. Each end, and there are six in the present machines, has to be threaded through a porcelain eye and through a porcelain candlestick post, over a bail, through'a traverse guide and then tied around an arbor. All six spindles start simultaneously by engaging a push button switch. The machine runs fora number of spindle revolutions which is predetermined. on an electric clock which electrically stops the machine. Each end of yarn then inust be individually cut, tied to the package'then doffed from the arbor by hand. Then the operation starts over again when the clock is reset.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The operation 'of applicants novel pull skein winder is basically as follows. The yarn cone is placed in position beside the winder and the lead end of the yarn is threaded through the thread eye and around the tension arms and up to the guide of the traversing mechanism. From the guide, the end of the yarn is takenand laid in the gap formed between the spindle and the clamping head. This gap is produced when the shaft upon which the clam ping head is formed is forced against spring pressure to the right. Upon release of the shaft to its original position the tip of the yarn is clamped in place. It is to be remembered that once the machine has been threaded that the skein winder operates automatically until all the yarn on the yarn conehas been exhausted.

The start button is then pushed causing the motor to wind the yarn into a skein on the spindle. As a full skein is formed, the winding operation stops and the doffer ring automatically travels across the spindle and doffs the skein into the doffer tray. At the same time the shaft having the clamping head thereon is'again forced against spring pressure to the right to form the gap between the spindle and the clamping head. As other switches of the circuit go into operation the doffing tray is caused to rotate on its shaft through a predetermined arc and the tail of the wound skein of yarn is deposited in the aforementioned gap. At this time the shaft having the clamping head thereon is released to return to its original position and the tail of yarn is clamped to the end face of the spindle. Also the doffing ring is transported back across the spindle to its original positions at this time. Continued rotation of the doffing tray causes the cutting mechanism mounted on the doffmg tray shaft to sever the yarn between the clamped tail and the wound skein of yarn in the doffing tray. At the end of its arc the skein is dumped from the doffing tray into a container or onto a conveyor. As the doffing tray rotates back to its original position, the motor is switched on and a new skein is wound on the spindle as a new cycle begins. By automating threading of the yarn on the spindle and severing the tail of the already Y doffed skein of yarn during one continuous operation,

production of the severed skeins of yarn may be increased by as much as 400 percent. This is due to the fact that the actual winding operation is of relatively short duration and the manual operations in the past took up the major portion of the production time.

An object of the invention is to produce consecutively skeins of yarn, placing in each skein the same amount of yarn. Y

Another object of the invention is to eliminate th time consuming manual re-threading operation previously necessary when each skein of yarn was cut free after it had been wound. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a fully automatic pull skein winder once it has been threaded.

' A further object of the invention is to provide the type of. pull skein winder in which a single worker can effectively tend and operate a battery of these winders.

- DESCRIPTION'OF TI-IE DRAWINGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic pull skein winder;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevation view of the left end DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Looking now to FIG. 1, the automatic pull skein winder 10 is disclosed in a perspective view illustrating it as it is about to start a cycle of operation. The yarn cone .12 is positioned below the yarn retaining eye 14 mounted on bracket 16. Post 18 mounted on base 20 supports bracket 16 and the platform 22 upon which the basic operating mechanisms of the skein winder are mounted.

When the automatic pull skein winder is initially threaded, a strand of yarn 24 is taken from the yarn cone and threaded upwardly through retaining eye 14, looped arm tension about 15 and wound across the V formed in tension arm 17. Next it is threaded through the elbow formed in guide 26. and between spindle 28 and the clamping head 30. In order to initially clamp the strand of yarn therebetween, pressure is exerted against bumper cap 32 seen in FIG. 2 causing shaft 33 upon which it is mounted to move to the right. Shaft 33 passes through sleeve 35 and has clamping head 30 attached to its other end. As a gap is formed between the end of spindle 28 and clamping head 30 similar to that sprocket gear 50 mounted on sleeve 35 causing the spindle 28 to rotate and wind the yarn thereon. At the tends laterally from the longitudinal slot 64 in the sleeve and has traverse guide means 66 attached at its tip. As the traverse guide travels back and forth, the yarn is laid on the rotating spindle in a substantially uniform buildup with spring fingers 66 helping to maintain tension on the already wound yarn.

After a predetermined amount of yarn hasibeen wound on the spindle, metering means deactivatethe motor to stop rotation of the plug and stop the traversing mechanism. An electrical signal then actu ates a valve releasing air'into the left end of air cylinder 70 causing a pistontherein to drive a coupling member 72 connected to the piston rod 71 and shaft 73 to the coupling member 72 travels into contact with bumper cap 32 and pushes shaft 33 a sufficient amount to the right to form a gap between plug 28 and clamping head 30 as seen in FIG. 3. A switch in the electrical circuit is then automatically actuated to open an air intake valve yarn that had been laying in the gap between the plug and the clamping head is thus fixedly held therebetween. Furtl er rotatio of the doffing tray causes the yarn to e severe by the scissor action previously described and at the end of its arc the severed skein of yarn is dumped into a container or on to a conveyor belt. Another electrical signal then reverses the flow of air into air cylinder 79 driving piston rod 80 upwardly and accordingly rotating doffing tray 78 back to its original skein receiving position. As the tray rotates to its starting position, spring 93 returns movable knife 87 to its initial position. This completes a I whole cycle of operation'and the motor would then be of air cylinder 79 driving piston rod 80 downwardly and causing rack gear 81 attached thereto to rotate pinion gear 82. Shaft 83 upon which pinion gear 82 is mounted passes through sleeve 84 and has a doffing tray 78 attached at its end by brackets 85. The doffing tray is rotated through a predetermined are just sufficient to empty the just doffed skein of yarn into an awaiting container or onto a conveyor. As the doffing tray begins to rotate, the trailing end of yarn of the wound skein is dragged across shaft 33 in the gap between plug 28 and clamping head 30 and between a V formed by a cutting mechanism mounted as by a collar 88 to shaft 83 comprising stationary knife 86 and movable knife 87. The cutting mechanism mounted on collar 88 rotates with the doffing tray and as it does so, the movable knife which is attached to the fixed knife by pivot pin 89 has its lower end, as seen in FIG. 3, forced against the cam pin 90 extending from a bushing 91 on sleeve 84 causing a scissor action as the movable knife has its lower portion cammed to the right.

In sequence the following happens just prior to the yarn being cut: An electrical signal closes a valve (not shown) that hadrelei'ased' air into the left end of air cylinder 70 and another valve (not shown) is opened to send air into the right end of the air cylinder to drive the piston therein to the left. This action causes doffer ring 76 on shaft 73 to be pulled across spindle 28 to the left to its original awaiting position. At the same time, the release of the pressure against bumper cap 32 by bumper pin 74 causes shaft 33' to return to the left. The

automatically switched on to start winding the next skein of yarn on the spindle.

It is to 'be realized that material, for example such as thread, string, etc., other than yarn could also be wound on the automatic pull skein winder.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic pull skein winding machine comprising a. spindle means supported at. only one end upon which a skein of yarn is to be wound, said spindle means comprising a spindle having an axial bore, a sleeve extending at least partially into said bore and being fixedly mounted thereon such that rotation of said sleeve causes said spindle to rotate at the same time,

b. means for rotating said spindle means to wind a skein of yarn directly on the outer surface of said spindle,

c. means to lay the yarn directly on the outer surface of said spindle with said means being mechanically connected to traversing means that lay the yarn directly on the spindle along its length as the spindle rotates,

. means for doffing the skein off the open end of said spindle while the spindle remains fixedly mounted on said sleeve, said means for doffing the wound skein comprising a doffing ring of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said spindle,

e. means at the unsupported end of the spindle for clamping the yarn tail of the just doffed skein in a fixed position relative to said spindle,

f. shaft means in said sleeve for actuating said clamping means,

means for severing the yarn between the doffed skein of yarn and the clamping means which holds the yarn tail of the just doffed skein.

2. An automatic pull skein winding machine as recited in claim 1 further comprising a doffing tray into which the doffed skein is ejected from said spindle.

3. An automatic pull skein winder as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for severing the yarn comprises a shaft upon which said doffing tray is mounted and means for rotating said shaft through a predetermined arc whereby the yarn tail of just doffed skein is inserted in said clamping means. v

4. An automatic pull skein winder as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for severing the yarn comprises scissor knife cutting means mounted on a shaft to which said doffing tray is mounted.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 693, 897 Dated September 26, 1972 Inventor(s) Miron Davidson It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the front page there should be inserted below the named inventor the following: [73] Assignee: SEE CO.

I Signed and sealed this 17th day of April 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. I I ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attestin-g Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 us. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 o-aes-au 

1. An automatic pull skein winding machine comprising a. spindle means supported at only one end upon which a skein of yarn is to be wound, said spindle meAns comprising a spindle having an axial bore, a sleeve extending at least partially into said bore and being fixedly mounted thereon such that rotation of said sleeve causes said spindle to rotate at the same time, b. means for rotating said spindle means to wind a skein of yarn directly on the outer surface of said spindle, c. means to lay the yarn directly on the outer surface of said spindle with said means being mechanically connected to traversing means that lay the yarn directly on the spindle along its length as the spindle rotates, d. means for doffing the skein off the open end of said spindle while the spindle remains fixedly mounted on said sleeve, said means for doffing the wound skein comprising a doffing ring of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said spindle, e. means at the unsupported end of the spindle for clamping the yarn tail of the just doffed skein in a fixed position relative to said spindle, f. shaft means in said sleeve for actuating said clamping means, g. means for severing the yarn between the doffed skein of yarn and the clamping means which holds the yarn tail of the just doffed skein.
 2. An automatic pull skein winding machine as recited in claim 1 further comprising a doffing tray into which the doffed skein is ejected from said spindle.
 3. An automatic pull skein winder as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for severing the yarn comprises a shaft upon which said doffing tray is mounted and means for rotating said shaft through a predetermined arc whereby the yarn tail of just doffed skein is inserted in said clamping means.
 4. An automatic pull skein winder as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for severing the yarn comprises scissor knife cutting means mounted on a shaft to which said doffing tray is mounted. 